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If yours Health data wasn’t injured in 2024, then you either don’t know yet or you’re lucky.
Because 2024 was a nightmare year overall for healthcare facilities and patients in the USA 184,111,469 records were injured. That’s 53% of the United States population in 2024.
This shocking number represents a significant increase compared to previous years and represents a new and alarming record for healthcare data breaches.
The healthcare sector faced unprecedented cybersecurity challenges: attacks became more frequent, more sophisticated and more damaging than ever before.
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Illustration of a hacker at work stealing health information (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
Health check or data leak?
A hospital stay is stressful enough. It caused additional stress for them 100 million Change Healthcare customerswhose data was exposed following a breach orchestrated by the BlackCat ransomware group. The breach not only resulted in the disclosure of confidential health information, but also caused widespread disruption in claims processing. Patients and providers across the country faced chaos as the breach affected their ability to access and pay for healthcare services.
The second significant breach occurred at Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, where the personal information of 13.4 million people were compromised. This breach included unauthorized access and the use of tracking technologies that transmitted user interactions to third parties.
Presentation of health data that needs to be blocked (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
Hackers claim massive breach against a company that tracks and sells Americans’ location data
Your health data is breached, so what?
You will receive a notification letter. However, keep in mind that it may take months to reach you (as was the case with its victims). Data breach at Ascension Health). The consequences are real and can be very painful. Medical identity theft directly impacts patient health and safety. This happens when criminals use stolen personal health information to obtain medical services or medications under someone else’s name. This can result in false medical records being created, which may contain incorrect diagnoses, allergies or treatments.
And as you may have guessed, this can also have financial implications, such as: B. Patients receive fraudulent claims and bills for services they did not receive. Resolving these issues with insurers and healthcare providers takes time and mental strength. And you’re probably in no hurry to see your injured healthcare provider ever again. That’s normal. A study has shown this Up to 54% of patients consider switching providers after a data breach.
WHAT IS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI)?
A doctor looks at health data on a screen (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
Do data brokers threaten your security in retirement?
When health data falls into the hands of data brokers
Sensitive health information can be easily combined with personal identifiers from data brokers, creating comprehensive profiles Criminals can exploit it. As a reminder, data brokers are companies that specialize in collecting, processing and selling personal data from various sources, including public records, online activity and social media.
They aggregate this data to create detailed consumer profiles that can be sold to marketers, insurance companies, and other companies for various purposes. The more detailed the profile, the higher the risk of identity theft and possible discrimination in employment and insurance. Employers could make hiring decisions based on perceived health risks, while insurers could deny coverage or increase premiums.
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A doctor and patient in a healthcare facility (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
THE HIDDEN COST OF FREE APPS: YOUR PERSONAL DATA
Wash your hands, remove your data
You can’t prevent a data breach, but you can minimize its impact by reducing your overall digital footprint.
1. Set your social media to private: Restrict access to your personal information and limit what strangers can see about your life and potentially your health. Make sure your privacy settings are robust and updated regularly to prevent unauthorized data collection.
2. Remove your personal information from data brokers’ databases: Either by searching for your name on people search sites and requesting removal individually or by using a data removal service. Data removal services automate data removal for you, allowing you to track exactly where your data was found and whether it was removed, not only on people search sites, which are public data brokers, but also on hidden, private databases where this is not possible Look for yourself (and these are the worst).
Once your data has been removed, Data Removal Services Monitor data brokers for your data and remove them if necessary (as they tend to get listed again after a while). This will prevent data brokerage companies from building a complete profile about you and selling it to the first bidder, be it a hacker, a marketing agency, or an insurance company. Check out my top picks for data removal services here.
3. Delete all unused apps on your phone: Unused applications can be hidden entry points for data leaks and potential security vulnerabilities. Regular audits and Remove apps that you no longer use or need.
4. Check the permissions of those you want to keep: Check each app Access to your personal information, location and device features to ensure you don’t accidentally share more information than necessary. Be especially careful with health and fitness tracking applications.
5. Use a VPN (virtual private network) while browsing: Encrypt your online activities and mask your digital location to add an additional layer of anonymity and protection. A reliable one VPN can help protect your personal information from potential interceptors and data miners. For the best VPN software, check out my expert review of the best VPNs for private web browsing on your device Windows, Mac, Android and iOS devices.
Kurt’s most important findings
The reality of healthcare data breaches is scary, but not entirely out of your control. Even if you can’t prevent breaches, you can take steps to minimize the risks and protect your personal information. Think of it like putting locks on your digital doors: set your social media to private, use a VPN, and clean up unused apps. Remember, the less information you disclose, the harder it is for malicious actors to exploit it. Stay vigilant and do not allow your data to benefit others.
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What are your views on the growing risks to your personal data and what measures have you taken to protect your data? Let us know by writing to us Cyberguy.com/Contact.
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